Free An Introduction to the Pink Collection by Barbara Cartland Page B

on.”
    â€œDoes your father allow you to do that?” Rena asked, startled.
    â€œHe doesn’t know,” Matilda admitted. “I wait until he’s out shooting or ordering some poor creatures about, then I go out to swim, and I make sure I’m back in my room, dressed like a lady before he returns.”
    Rena laughed. “I think that’s very sensible of you,” she said, “as long as he doesn’t catch you.”
    â€œYes, he’d be very angry if he thought I wasn’t behaving like a perfect lady. And when he says ‘lady’ he means ‘lady with a title’.”
    â€œIs that what you want?”
    Solemnly Matilda shook her head.
    â€œI’m twenty-four,” she said wearily, “and what I want is to stop being dragged about the world, while Papa searches for a title he thinks is grand enough for me, or rather, for him.
    â€œI want to love and marry a man who loves me madly. Then our love would make us happy, whether or not we had Papa’s money, or a large house. Without the one you love the grandest house would be cold and empty.”
    â€œThen it’s love that matters the most to you,” Rena said in a soft voice.
    There was silence for a moment, then Matilda said,,
    â€œIf I tell you the truth, will you promise not to tell Papa?”
    â€œOf course I promise,” Rena replied. “If it’s a secret I won’t tell anyone at all.”
    â€œVery well.” Matilda took a deep breath. “I am in love, with a man who loves me as much as I love him.”
    As she spoke she looked over her shoulder as if she was afraid someone would hear her.
    Dropping her voice almost to a whisper, Rena asked: “Does your father know?”
    â€œNo, of course not!” Matilda said. “And you’ve promised not to tell him.”
    â€œDon’t worry. I’ll keep my word. But what are you going to do?”
    â€œI don’t know. We’re only here because he wants me to have a title. Last month he tried to trick a Duke into marrying me. But the Duke escaped and Papa was lividly angry. I thought he was going to kill somebody. He’s capable of it, you know.”
    â€œYou mean he already has killed someone?”
    â€œNo – at least – I don’t know. It’s only a suspicion and I may be wrong. A man was causing Papa trouble, and he vanished a little too conveniently.”
    â€œGood heavens! What happened?”
    â€œI don’t know. He just vanished and was never seen again. Papa was trying to get control of a railroad in America, and this man was trying to stop him. Maybe it wasn’t Papa. The man had other enemies. It’s more that I’m certain he could do something like that. It’s there, inside him.
    â€œI’ve seen him flex his fingers against the air, like this – ” Matilda made the gesture. “As though he had somebody’s neck in his hands, and would enjoy squeezing it.”
    Rena nodded. Mr Wyngate  had struck her in exactly the same way.
    â€œBut it doesn’t last, you see,” Matilda went on. “He has a brief spell of being murderously angry, and then he puts it behind him and goes on to the next thing.”
    â€œAnd the ‘next thing’ is Lord Lansdale?”
    â€œYes. Papa read about his inheriting the title in the newspapers, and said ‘All right, he’ll have to do’. He said he was sure Lord Lansdale was in love with me. Well, I could hardly keep from laughing.
    â€œJohn and I met at a ball my father gave. He danced with me twice and we chatted over a glass of wine. The only thing he could talk about was his ship, but according to Papa he’d been giving me languishing looks, and would have confessed his ‘love’ but that he had nothing to offer me.”
    â€œDid you believe that?” Rena asked, frowning.
    â€œNot for one moment,” Matilda said emphatically. “I know